The newspaper front page is fabricated, and so is the Danish expert’s quote. Responding to a StopFake inquiry, a representative for Lykke Friis explained that she often comments on Ukraine in the media but has never called for closing the EU’s borders.
A front page of Der Nordschleswiger, a German-language newspaper published in Denmark, is circulating in pro-Russian corners of the internet. Its headline claims the EU is considering closing its border with Ukraine if the country fails to cope with epidemiological and environmental problems. The statement is attributed to Lykke Friis, head of Think Tank Europa. Friis supposedly believes that damaged infrastructure, water pollution and the threat of infectious diseases spreading, including cholera, hepatitis A and bacterial intestinal infections, could have long-term consequences for Ukraine and its European neighbors.
In reality, both the article and the quote were invented outright by propagandists. The full Oct. 14, 2026, edition of Der Nordschleswiger is available online. That day’s front page actually covered German Unity Day celebrations in North Schleswig, a region of Denmark that is home to a large German population.
StopFake also contacted Lykke Friis herself, whose “quote” appears on the fake cover. Friis is director of the Danish think tank Think Tank Europa, where she researches Ukraine’s and Moldova’s EU accession and analyzes “gradual integration” models for candidate countries. She previously served as pro-rector of the University of Copenhagen and as Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and gender equality. According to Marie Louise Albers, a representative of Think Tank Europa, Friis frequently comments in the media on the EU’s response to Russian aggression but has never made any statement about closing borders. “This is not an existing article distorted through a pro-Kremlin narrative, but a statement invented from scratch,” Albers said. Friis herself called the fake “a direct attack on my credibility.“
This is not the first time Russian propagandists have pushed the false notion that Ukrainians pose an epidemic threat to Europe. StopFake has debunked similar narratives in Fake: Ukrainian Refugees Provoke a Dangerous Disease Outbreak in Rzeszów and Fake: Ukrainians in Sweden Resort to Sex Work and Infect Local Residents with HIV.
